


Live With Him

by revior



Category: Enola Holmes (2020), Enola Holmes Series - Nancy Springer, Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: 19th Century, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Viscount Tewksbury, Emotionally Constipated Enola Holmes, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enola Holmes (2020) Compliant, F/M, Fear of Death, Fluff and Humor, From Enola's Side Of Course, Historical, Historical Inaccuracy, Housing, Living Together, Lonely Viscount Tewksbury, Moving In Together, Murder Mystery, Post-Canon, Scared Viscount Tewksbury, Showing Off, Strangers to Lovers, Viscola, learning how to love, together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26660776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revior/pseuds/revior
Summary: Tewksbury begs Enola to move into his apartment. She doesn't seem to agree with that idea, but he isn't ready to give up.(now also includesfanart!)
Relationships: Enola Holmes/Viscount "Tewky" Tewksbury
Comments: 54
Kudos: 492





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So I watched the movie and now I want to write something.
> 
> [Tumblr](https://bluebrownskies.tumblr.com/) | [AO3 Account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/revior)

"Please," said Tewksbury. "I need you to move in with me. I cannot stay in that home a second longer."

"Why would you say that? What do you mean?"

"I'm too scared that someone will come and end my life. That place is nothing less of a nightmare to me. What if someone comes back and tries to kill me because of how I voted?"

The Viscount's voice was beyond annoying to Enola but she had no way of silencing him. She knew that from the little experience she had acquired with him. "I cannot just move there, you know that. What if Mycroft comes looking for me? What can I do then?"

"For the love of God, your brother doesn't wish you to go into that horrid place anymore. He wanted what's best for you and now he's hoping that you'll marry me and settle down."

"But-" started the girl, but the Viscount didn't leave her a chance to continue.

"Don't worry, I know you aren't ready to do anything. So just calm down and move into my home. You have grand estates and all sorts of things that will amuse you. You can behave however you want and you can do whatever you want. I promise you that my family won't bother you and I'm sure you do not care about the opinion of our servants."

Enola hated to admit it, but she thought about it for a second. "No. I refuse to be in another place that I have no control of. Don't you wish to stay here anyway? Your work is here."

"I'm only needed every once in a while. And you can come back here with me when I do. Don't worry, your mother knows where you are in case she's looking for you. Sherlock will probably be able to tell too. It's just Mycroft that's clueless enough to consider that you're staying with me. And if he is considering it, then he probably won't mind."

"You cannot know that for sure," objected Enola Holmes, standing up for herself as usual. "You cannot know anything for sure. Actually, you cannot know anything. Point blank."

"What did I do to deserve you to treat me like this?"

"You did nothing, and that's precisely the problem."

"How about you stay with me for a week and then you decide whether you fancy coming back here or not? I am sure you'll enjoy yourself, by the way."

Enola didn't answer at first, stopping herself from making a sly and angry comment. Maybe, just maybe, his idea wasn't as bad as she initially thought.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enola finally moves in. Tewksbury invites her on a trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support on this. I appreciate every single kudos and comment, so if you enjoy this comment please share your thoughts!
> 
> [Tumblr](https://bluebrownskies.tumblr.com/) | [AO3 Account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/revior)

When Enola walked into the mansion that she had already been in twice before. She appreciated that this time it wasn't dark and there wasn't a killer after them, but there was some sort of familiarity about it all.

"Do you like it?" asked Tewksbury, trying to mask the obvious fact that he was desperately trying to please Enola, failing so miserably. "We can change some things if you want to."

"Don't worry, I like it here. And of course, why would you change things if I'm only staying for a week?"

Tewksbury was obviously hurt by that but he would never actually admit it. "Well, who's to say that you won't stay here for longer than a week?"

"Me. I'm the one to say that." The youngest Holmes then smiled looking around the hallway filled with statues of Viscount's ancestors, most of whom were great leaders of the country. "Now, where's all the freedom you've offered me. I didn't come here to be treated the same as I would be by Mycroft."

"Don't you dare compare me to that evil brother of yours. He truly is an evil being and I do not wish that anyone meets him anytime soon. He's probably still mad that he cannot find you anywhere and send you to that school."

"Let him be mad," added the young detective. "Is there any way that a crime will happen here?"

"Would that make you stay for longer?"

"At least until I'd be able to solve it. Just make sure you're not the one who orchestrates it because you will get locked up."

"And here I was thinking you started to fancy me," laughed Viscount. He took off his hat and threw it on the floor.

Enola looked at him, her eyes open wide. "What are you doing?"

"As I said, Enola, we can do anything we want here, and this is what I want to be doing."

Enola didn't say anything for a while, then took off her shoes. "I hate these."

"Then just throw them on the floor. Who's to judge you here?"

 _The valets, the housemaids, the cooks, your family. Pretty much everyone there is,_ thought Enola to herself, then put her shoes back on after further reflection. "I do not wish to be thrown out of your home once your mother sees me and thinks of me as unstable. So instead I'll just wait for now and then see what I can do later."

"You really are afraid of my mother aren't you? You should know that she would never do anything to upset anyone."

"You would say the same about your grandmother but she tried to murder us both," pointed out Enola, looking at one of the statues. The man chasing them all over England shot off a part of it, but it still stood there, proud to live centuries after the man had died.

Tewksbury followed her and looked at the statue with her. "Fair enough. But my mother truly isn't the murderous sort."

"I'll let time decide that."

"Come with me. I want to show you something I think you'll enjoy."

The two walk together through most of the house and then back to the gardens. They finally arrive at the stables, Tewky not waiting before entering. "John, are you here?"

The man walks out of the back and faces Tewksbury. "You wanna ride?"

"Yes, please. Could you get us two horses ready as fast as possible."

"Will do," said John, walking back from where he came from.

"I know this surprise is something you think is from the sixteenth century, but riding horses is extremely relaxing," said Viscount Tewksbury, fiddling with his fingers and stepping from one foot to another. He was obviously nervous, but Enola wasn't sure why. "Plus, it's a nice way for me to show you around."

"You do know that I have no idea how to ride horses, right? And I am not about to put my life in danger for the second time in just a matter of days. Your grandmother did enough harm to me already."

"You can ride on the back of my horse then. It'll be fun, I'll just show you around the estate, and then tomorrow I can start teaching you how to actually ride a horse." Enola didn't answer that because she didn't know what to say. She did want to ride a horse, but as she said, she did not want to risk her life for the second time in a day. "John, only prepare one horse, please."

"Alright," shouted John from somewhere pretty far away. His shout was almost muffled, just loud enough to reach the two.

"I am not sure about this, Tewksbury. What if something goes wrong? I do not wish to die..."

"You said that once already. And just when I thought you would be the girl who didn't fear anything."

"I do fear some things, you..." Holmes searched for an insult but she couldn't find anything that fit what she was trying to say. "I do fear some things, as a rational human being would."

"I totally see you as a rational human being," teased Tewksbury. "To rephrase what I said, I thought you were brave."

"I am brave," objected the girl, huffing. "You know that very well."

"I am not sure I do. How about you prove it to me?"

Enola wanted to tell herself that he was just trying to play her. She knew that he was. But then again, she couldn't come off as scared, because that would completely ruin the perspective Tewksbury and the rest of the world had for her.

"I do not need to prove you anything, Tewksbury. But because I am brave, I will ride this horse. Just know that if we both die, it will be your fault and I will haunt you in the afterlife forever."

"I promise to not kill you," chuckled Tewksbury. "I am beyond happy that you aren't objecting to me taking you on a sixteenth-century trip."

"I did object to it, but you called me afraid and I am not scared of things like these. So yes, I had no choice but to agree."

By then, John walked out of the stables with a horse by his side, leading him towards Enola and Tewksbury. The beast was majestic, almost smiling as it felt the wind against its body. Viscount didn't hesitate before mounting it, moving a bit forward before looking at Enola, a smile on his face. "Hop on."


	3. Chapter Three

"I am not sure about this," muttered Enola as she tried to get out of climbing on the horse after her friend. "I seriously don't wish to die right now. I want to investigate more cases and live to be someone before passing on."

"You already said that before. And I promise you that you will not die if you get on this horse. It is a lot more dangerous down there as there is the possibility that the horse will accidentally hit you with his leg. So come on, climb on so we can leave. We have quite a journey before us before we can finally come to the destination I want to take you to."

Holmes was too scared to come off as a scaredy-cat, so instead, she just climbed onto the horse and closed her eyes. "Just go already. I cannot stand to stay in place a moment longer."

"As you wish, m'lady. We can also go full speed, but I doubt that you would be able to stay on the back if that happened."

"You promised not to kill me. And that also includes hurting me in any way, and I thought Tewky stayed true to his word."

"Are you really making my nickname Tewky? You really couldn't come up with anything else? I thought a Holmes such as yourself could at least come up with something original. But I guess we can all go wrong from time to time," joked Tewksbury, starting the horse.

The two were moving slowly, the boy too afraid to startle Enola and make her run off somehow. The hardest part was making her agree to come with, but it definitely wasn't the only part he had to do.

He slowly sped up the pace until they were going at the normal speed. "Is this alright for you?"

"I like this speed, but if we go any further... Let's just say that I don't care whether you are a Marquess or not. It won't be fun for you."

"Are you threatening me, Enola Holmes?" asked the Viscount, making the girl unsure whether he was serious or not. "Because if you are I can just about call for one of the servants and they will take you away from this amazing place."

"Who said this place was as amazing as you say?" objected the girl, a sly smile on her face. "Because as far as I'm concerned, the only almost exciting thing that happened to me in this place was getting assaulted by your grandmother. Although I doubt that most people would find that as amazing as I do."

The Marquess sighed, slowing the horse down a bit. "You won't ever let me forget that my grandmother tried to murder you. But may I remind you that she tried to murder me too. We went through that together, which I take as an indicator that we should go through this together too."

"That's a bit silly of you to think, don't you think? Taking one thing as an indicator for something completely different?" Enola's words echoed through the woods, coming back at them and reminding Tewksbury just how right she was. "I think if I were you I would let time decide everything, not one bad thing that happened. So you should instead think about the future, not about your past."

"Says the one who keeps reminding me that my grandmother tried to murder us."

"You have to admit that it is too good of a thing to not use against you. I mean, I cannot just wait for another thing to come along and use that against you. That will probably never happen. And before you tell me that I should just make fun of somebody else, I have to tell you that I do not have a lot of acquaintances and the ones I do want me in a boarding school that I escaped from and the people there wouldn't treat me very well if I came back."

"On the contrary, I wanted to suggest you to not make fun of people at all. But I guess it is hard for some people to do things like that, isn't it?"

A smile appeared on Enola's face, as the boy chuckled. There was no real argument between them, but if someone was to consider that an argument, then Tewksbury would've definitely won it. And even though it was difficult for Enola to accept that she lost it, she somewhat liked the feeling of feeling challenged.

Back at home, Eudoria was too intelligent to be able to compare and the maids - when they still had them - never wished to play games with the young Holmes. Silly, they said, never specifying if they were talking about the games or the girl.

"If I'm not to mess with anyone, then what should I do with my days? Because I sure do not wish to behave like a good housewife some might want me to be."

"I assure you, there are other purposes in one's life than being a housewife. Take your mother for example. She never lived conventionally but ended up turning just fine."

"I think this is a good time to tell you that she wanted to blow up the parliament but somehow she failed. That was on the day that you cast your first vote in the Lords, which means that she would've blown you up too. And unless you want me to be a treaterous plotter like my mother turned out to be, you should just pretend you never said those words."

"Oh," was all the Marquess could say. Words - that were otherwise always there, even in excess - just couldn't seem to come out of his mouth. He then stopped the horse, looking into the woods.

Enola matched his gaze, seeing that he was staring at nothing. "Why did we stop? I don't know if you need glasses, but there is nothing there."

"I just wanted to say sorry. For your mother."

"Don't worry, I still love her, and she still loves me. We just disagree on some things. Now go ahead and make us go faster. Or something. I am not quite sure how horses work."

"Alright."

"I want to see what place you wanted to show me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new chapter will be out soon! feedback is extremely appreciated
> 
> [Tumblr](https://bluebrownskies.tumblr.com/) | [AO3 Account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/revior)


	4. Chapter Four

When the horse finally started to slow down, Enola looked around and realized just how nice the place Tewksbury brought her to looked. When his grandmother brought him to visit the estate, she hadn’t imagined that it could contain so many nice places, but she looked forward to more pleasant surprises such as this one. She appreciated it very much.

“This is it,” said Tewky, his voice full of hope that the girl would like it. “I was thinking that we stay here for a while before going back for lunch.”

“You should’ve brought something here so we could have a nice picnic here. And just when I thought this would be a good day.” When Holmes saw how sad the Marquess began to look – although it was painfully obvious that he was trying to hide it – she realized that she was mistreating him and that he needed more respect than he got from her. “But thank you anyway. I like this place very much.”

“Yes, I thought that you would like it. We did not go as fast as expected because of your inability to ride, but once you learn how to do it yourself, you’ll be able to spend more of your time here and enjoy yourself without any eyes on you. If that’s what you want, of course.”

“Thank you for thinking of me,” said Enola.

She looked around the small spot of bare land between the trees that they were standing on. There were fields in the proximity too, but something told her that it would be better to just stay there and explore later when she was more familiar with the place.

“Don’t worry, I am overjoyed that you’re happy here. You probably do not know how worried I was that you would not like it here. It is hard to please you, after all.”

“That is a lie,” objected Holmes, crossing her arms on her chest and pouting. “It is _not_ hard to please me.”

“Are you calling a member of the Lords a liar, Enola Holmes? I don’t think that’s what a respectable young lady such as yourself should do.”

Enola understood that the Viscount was obviously just playing with her, but she couldn’t help but fall for the joke. She couldn’t resist snapping back at him for calling her a respectable young lady and making fun of him in general.

“Well, I personally don’t think that a respectable young lord such as yourself should be saved by a respectable lady such as myself when his grandmother tries to murder him, first by hiring people to do it and then trying to do it herself.”

“Hey! I thought you said that you would stop with the grandmother jokes. Everyone already gets on my nerves enough by trying to annoy me all the time. I don’t need one of my closest friends to act like that too.”

“Did you just call me one of your closest friends?” laughed Enola Holmes, making the Marquess blush. “Oh, and now you’re blushing. I think you forgot to wear your dress today.”

“I don’t think I should listen to a lady who I met when she was wearing a man’s clothing.”

“Are you going to stop calling me lady or will I have to strike you down. I don’t think you want the grandmother situation to repeat.”

“I think you making jokes about grandmother has become a habit by now and that’s why you aren’t stopping. Because I don’t believe that there are people as evil as you to make jokes about a serious situation like that.”

“Oh believe me, you haven’t met my brother yet,” muttered Enola, thinking of the almost-paternal figures in her life and realizing just how much she missed them although she desperately tried to convince herself that she didn’t.

Tewksbury waited for a bit before answering. “Which one? The one who tracked you down for a respectable sum or the one who wants to send you away? Because I have to say that both of them sound extremely charming. I’m not looking forward to meeting either in fear of where they’ll send me, but I have to say that you’re mostly still more displeasing than that.”

“Now who’s the mean one?”

“Fair enough. But I was just trying to pay back for all the grandmother jokes.”

“I have to admit that I might’ve went a little overboard with them. But you have to admit that they aren’t as bad as you thought at first. You would miss them if I stopped making them all of a sudden.”

“I guess I would miss them, but I think it would still be nicer if you didn’t make them than it is now. On the contrary, some of your jokes can be quite pleasing to the ear.”

“Well, now you’re talking like a real lord, pleasing the ladies and all that. What comes next, asking my brother for his permission to marry me or putting an apron around my neck and making me cook in the kitchen?”

Tewksbury was taken aback by how straight-forward her words were. Although he knew that the girl didn’t think her words through, sometimes it felt as if she’d been preparing them for hours, waiting for the right moment when they would cause the most damage.

He definitely didn’t want to see Enola Holmes, the most charming person he’d ever met, in either of those positions, but he knew that after a while, she would have to do something with her life. He hoped they could stay in that moment forever, no responsibilities and no titles, but he knew how the world really worked.

“You know I would never do anything like that, Enola. I would never force you to do anything you didn’t want, and you know that very well.”

“Maybe I went a little overboard, but you are a man after all, and all men just want the same thing. Nobody really wants something positive from me, they all just want to see to what point they can push me before I snap and then I get called untamed.”

“But I’ve never pushed you to the edge or accuse you of such a thing. I just want you to be happy, and I thought you knew that.”

“I do know that, but I also know how the real world works. Your mother might be alright with me staying at your house right now without acting like a lady, but I would like to see how long that will last. I promise you that after a while she will talk to you and ask you when I will actually do something with my life. Marry you, per example.”

“My mother has no say in anything. I have a say in what I do in my life and you have a say in what you do with your life, as long as you can stay away from Mycroft.”

“Yes, Mycroft still seems to be a threat. He just isn’t ready to accept the idea that his sister won’t fit into a little box just like he did.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is something wrong with me, Tewksbury. That is quite obvious to myself and everyone around. Or at least different about me, and most people think that different is wrong. My brother, for example.”

The Marquess wasn’t sure what to say.

He knew that he couldn’t lie to her since she could read right through him and she knew her own situation better than he knew it. But he also knew that if he told her the truth immediately, she would crumble under the weight of it at some point and he didn’t want to do that.

He just wanted to make her smile. Her smile brought a smile to his face and anyone who had a pair of eyes could see just how happy they were in the presence of the other, even if they showed the affection in a different way than normal people. But unlike most people, Holmes and Tewksbury knew that different didn’t necessarily mean wrong.

“Your brother is an absolute idiot if he thinks that there is anything wrong with you. Anyone who has ever met you should be happy to have had the opportunity to do so. I am, for example.”

“Don’t get so feminine, now.” Enola could almost feel tears in her eyes for whatever reason, and there was no way that she would let Tewksbury see her cry. “We should get back. We don’t want to be late for lunch.”

The Viscount understood what she was insinuating. He untied the horse and mounted it, Enola hopping on right after him.

As they rode back, Enola let the defences that she built fall, tears falling down both her cheeks as he held onto Tewksbury strongly. If she couldn’t stop it once they arrived back, she would just blame it on the wind or some allergies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thoughts are welcome!
> 
> [Tumblr](https://bluebrownskies.tumblr.com/) | [AO3 Account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/revior)


	5. Chapter Five

When Enola came back home, there was a pleasant surprise already waiting for them, yet the girl didn’t know that. John took over the horse and the two young ones left the stalls together.

“Are you alright?” asked the Viscount, unsure what to say. He had heard Enola cry almost all the way back, but he wasn’t sure that it was because she was sad. There was definitely something else, because sadness alone couldn’t make someone like Enola Holmes cry.

“Yes, why do you ask? I am beyond starving right now. Do you think the cooks can stir up something quick so I can satisfy that hunger?” Holmes wiped her eyes once more, smiling at the boy. Even though she didn’t seem particularly happy, she felt as if she finally found someone whom she could trust with anything.

“Oh, there is no specific reason, I just thought I’d ask. And yes, of course, the cooks can make anything you want. But if it’s something odd, you better be ready to give them very specific instructions.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not the picky sort. Most of the time, at least.”

Both of them knew that the statement wasn’t true, but neither of them wanted to do anything to upset the other.

Tewksbury brushed his sweaty hands in the napkin that was resting in his pocket and extended his arm. “Are you ready to leave, milady?” he asked jokingly.

“Of course, good sir,” replied the young detective. “I have a quick question for you before we leave. Are you sure any of the servants won’t find out about the reward that Mycroft has put on me and report to him in search of money?”

“I cannot promise anything, but every single one person who works here – let alone the ones who know that you’re here and who you are – is a particularly trusted individual and would not do anything to endanger that trust.”

“Oh,” answered Enola. She didn’t have anything else to say.

It seemed as if everything the Marquess did in his life was to prepare himself for the moment when Enola would walk into his life and then into his home not long after.

“So, are you ready for lunch? Because I feel just as starving as you said you were before.”

Holmes nodded and the two walked into the house.

Enola hadn’t expected the dining room to look as nice as it truly was. The two walked into the majestic rooms, huge chandeliers hanging above the table that could guest a few dozen guests.

“I hope this isn’t too fancy for you,” mutters the Marquess, pulling a chair away from the table and waiting for Enola to sit down. “I know you’re not one to particularly appreciate these kinds of huge gestures, but I thought that maybe this could be an exception.”

“On the contrary, I like big gestures. As long as they’re carried out properly like this one was. I can see all the work that was done on the little details. If your goal was to impress me, then you certainly did so.”

“That truly is a relief,” says Tewksbury, feeling the weight roll off his chest as he does so.

There couldn’t be anything more painful to him than finding out that Enola didn’t actually appreciate what he was doing for her and was just embarrassed by these little things. And even though he told himself that he would have to tone down on them at some point to not scare the girl off, it was hard for him to do after she admitted to liking it this once.

“This is probably impolite of me to ask, but when will the food be arriving. Like I said before, I am absolutely starving. Who knew just sitting down could tire you out as much as this little tour of the estate did.”

The two talked for a bit about pointless things, mostly themes that neither of them was very passionate about but they just needed something to talk about, in waiting of the food that the Viscount had told the cooks to prepare before they left.

“I also told John that he should be ready to get you a horse for you to learn whenever you come down to the stables. And you can do that whenever you want, of course.”

“Tewksbury, you don’t need to worry about me feeling trapped here. Just today you showed me the corners of this vast estate and now you think I’m going to feel any different because you think it would be good for me to learn how to ride a horse? You should really make up your mind.”

The Marquess cleared his throat, looking straight into the chandelier that was above them. “I just don’t wish for you to think that I would ever do anything Mycroft would.”

“I know you would never stoop down to such a level,” noted Enola, the always-present smile resting on her face. Any traces of her crying before had already disappeared and now she was happier than ever when she finally got all the negative emotions out of her. “You should not worry about things like these, Tewky.”

“I try not to, but I just think that it would be easy for you to grow tired of me and move on. That is probably the thing I fear most of all right now, and that’s why I’m trying to show you all aspects of living here. Positive ones, of course.”

Enola rolled her eyes at the cheesy statement that the Viscount had made. “I doubt there are any negative aspects about your home.”

“Believe me, although I’m ashamed to admit it, there are a few. My family contributes to the ones that actually do exist, which means that I cannot change them. The positive aspects largely outweigh the negative ones, though, so I guess it’s alright.”

“See? Then you have absolutely nothing to worry about and instead, you should just enjoy the meal that you’re getting now.”

As if on cue, a few servants arrived with plates of food in their hands. They set them down and started to leave when Enola turned to Tewksbury. “I have a favour to ask of you.”

“Anything you want.”

“Could the workers eat with us? We have a large excess of food and they always work so hard. It would be nice to grant them the smallest bit of retreat for once, wouldn’t it?”

“I guess you’re right.” He then called the servants back and invited them all to eat lunch with them. A few didn’t want to agree because they thought it was some sort of trap – although it was clear by the looks in their eyes that they wanted to join – and others just profited off the occasion, smiles on their faces.

And the Viscount had to agree that even though he would never think of that idea himself, he didn’t really dislike having all these people who were almost friends around him. It was clear to everyone there that Enola was the life of the place, and now since the grandmother who was the previous one was gone, Enola would be able to make the place as gleeful as it was before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to everyone who's reading!
> 
> [Tumblr](https://bluebrownskies.tumblr.com/) | [AO3 Account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/revior)


	6. Chapter Six

When Enola came out of her room a few days later, freshly dressed, she thought she was going to have a heart attack.

“You are not going to take me away.”

“Enola, you’re too young to understand certain things, but this is just how the world works,” started Mycroft, leaning against the wall in his usual attire. He was probably fresh just out of London, thought Enola. “I need you to come back.”

“And I need you to leave me alone. I am happy here and it looks like everything you do is just to get in the way of happiness. Why are you here anyway?” Enola didn’t care what her older brother would think about her behaviour. He didn’t seem to care about anything else, so why would he care about that?

The elder Holmes huffed, waltzing around the room, then coming back to the spot where he was standing before. “You need to come back. What if Mother returns?”

“Don’t try to make me feel guilty, Mycroft. It doesn’t work.”

In truth, it was working.

Enola couldn’t help but feel as if she was failing her mother by not waiting for her.

 _But then again, Mother will understand, right?_ Thought the girl to herself, softly rubbing her elbow to calm herself down.

“Things will be better for everyone if you come back home. I can find you a respectable husband when you’re ready. Hell, you can even be under Sherlock’s ward if he’ll still want a heathen like you.”

“I am not a heathen,” strongly objected Enola. And she was right for the most part. She really wasn’t a heathen. “And before you say anything else, I want to ask you why you think your definition of home is the same as mine. There is nothing but – if you’ll let me quote you – disrespectful memories attached to that place.”

“I never said that.”

“Well, I recall several occasions where you said something that very closely matched what I just said. And I’m afraid I’m not the only person who can testify to those. Even your own beloved brother can.”

“Do not dare play smart with me, girl,” threatened the male Holmes. “I do not wish any further complications than what we already have. Everyone knows this Marquess will get tired of you soon and will send you away. And once that happens you will certainly not have a family to come back to.”

“That is not what’s going to happen, I assure you. And even if it would, I would certainly find a better way of living than coming back to that place you keep calling home. I’m extremely thankful for your concern, though.”

“You are not responsible enough to be able to make decisions like these for yourself.”

Enola thought about storming off for a second, but then she stopped herself. There was no point in doing that when she was talking to her own brother, someone who she cared about. Yet, she had an uneasy feeling that the emotion wasn’t réciproque, as her mother liked to call it.

“Is it that I aren’t responsible enough? Or is it the fact that I’m a woman? You will really have to make up your mind one of these days, Mycroft. People aren’t able to read through you and tell what you think as easily as I can.”

“I am not saying that you being a woman makes you irresponsible, but-”

“The world just works a certain way and I have no choice but to follow it? Is that what you’re going to tell me? Don’t worry, I’ve heard your opponents say that exact thing to you numerous times and I can now reply with the same statement. You wouldn’t want people to know that you were lying when you said what you did, would you?”

The girl could see the rage level rising by the expression on her brother’s face that gradually grew angrier. A part of her wanted to go to him and tell him that she just doesn’t want to leave but otherwise everything will be okay. But then again, that wasn’t the truth, and Mycroft would not agree with that lie anyway.

“You have no idea what you’re saying, Enola. Even your mother wasn’t reckless to this extent.”

“You might be calling me reckless, but I assure you that I’ve thought everything I’m saying right now out a thousand times before in my head. I knew you were aware of my location and it was just a matter of time before you did this. I was right, wasn’t I?

“Well then, will you drag me out of here yourself or do you have someone who will come get me for you? In handcuffs maybe so the chance of me escaping a second time decreases?”

Mycroft just turned around and stormed off, not saying another word.

Enola waited for the man’s footsteps to become inaudible before finally letting herself think about what she had just done.

 _I just told my brother, my ward, everything that has been on my mind for the past few weeks. And although I know that he deserves it, I have no way of knowing to what extent he will go to avenge what I just did,_ thought the youngest of the Holmes children to herself.

She controlled her way throughout the entire conversation with Mycroft, but she had felt tears building up all throughout her speech.

Enola dropped the mental barrister that prevented her from crying and let the tears flow down her cheeks and lightly wet her attire. It wasn’t necessarily tears of sadness. They were more like tears of anger, the anger that she had felt for everything that had happened to her since her birth.

How her brothers just barged in and thought they owned everything – legally they did, but otherwise they didn’t belong there – which everyone, especially Enola, found unfair.

But there was nothing to do about it, but be angry and be sad. And that was exactly what those tears represented.

When she finished crying, she took a handkerchief from her bedroom and cleaned herself, then left for breakfast, looking as if nothing had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah, Mycroft is...
> 
> but thoughts?


	7. Chapter Seven

Enola walked into the dining room, not looking back at Tewksbury when he looked at her.

“He left in a hurry. From that, I’m deducing that you’ve made your brother cross somehow.”

“It isn’t my fault. I did nothing wrong,” defended Enola, unsure whether what she was saying was completely true. “He tried to take me away, so I told him everything that was on my mind and that seems to have angered him.”

“Well, now I’m not surprised that he wanted to run away so quickly. But I understand why you did it and I stand by your decision to do so completely.”

“Maybe some of my words were a bit too harsh, but I think that Mycroft just couldn’t handle anyone standing up to him in general. I mean, there is no other explanation as to why to he’s so mad.”

“I can find plenty of explanations in that same pool of reasons, but let’s just say it would be better for us to change the subject, wouldn’t it?”

Enola agreed with her friend, not wanting to discuss her brother and her behaviour towards him any longer. She would have enough time to reflect upon it when she was all alone in the evening.

She sighed. “I’m not very hungry.”

“You should eat but you don’t have to. It’s up to you. You can make decisions for yourself just like any other sane person.”

And with that, the difference between Mycroft and Tewksbury was revealed.

One believed she was responsible and sane and the other one just wanted control over her, no matter the price. That was what bothered her and that was what got her to say those things to him in the outburst that had happened.

“I might eat later. I’m not very hungry right now.”

“Well, I wanted to discuss something with you. So, if you wouldn’t mind sitting down.”

Holmes sat down on the chair he was pointing towards, once again surprised by the softness of the material under her. “What is it that you wanted to discuss?”

“I have received a letter this morning. I won’t bore you with the little details, but I’m to be in London in a few days.”

“Does that mean I have to go back home in your absence?”

Enola nearly shivered at the word ‘home’. She had just explained to her brother why the place where she grew up wasn’t defined as her home in her head, but it would take her a while to finally start referring to it as something else.

“No, it doesn’t mean that.”

“So, I can stay here while you’re away?” asked the girl, a hopeful smile appearing on her face. She knew that Tewksbury could somehow find a way to still make her feel welcome, even while he was away from her.

Tewksbury looked down at his hands that were resting on the table. “Actually, I was wondering whether you wanted to come to London with me. I think everything would be easier if I had someone with me, and you would still have company.”

Enola didn’t know what to answer.

Sure, she wanted to go to London with her friend and explore the best city in the world, but then again, she wanted to just stay at the Marquess’ mansion and relax while the boy was away.

“Yes, that would be great.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel forced to do anything if you don’t want to.”

“You already said that once. And I assure you once again, I’m not being forced by you to do anything at all, so stop worrying. I can stay here and relax all the time, so a bit of change isn’t always bad. Especially if it’s a temporary change. Plus, London isn’t exactly something someone can say no to, is it?”

“Well, if you’re sure, then great. I was worried that I would somehow have to arrange for someone to stay here in your presence in case Mycroft comes again and tries other methods of getting you back to the place he calls home.”

“I’m not sure a respectable man – that’s what he calls himself – would ever try doing that,” pointed out Enola, playing with a lock of her hair, a habit she picked up from her mother and she couldn’t stop. “But I thank you for your concern.”

The Marquess laughed audibly, surprising Enola by doing so. “I think it’s just human decency, but then again, nothing is that simple when it comes to you, is it?”

“You’ve been nothing but good to me, Tewky. Do not ruin it just by being cheeky. I’m pretty sure I’m better at that and I want it to stay so. You might not know that yet, but I’ve proven to be a pretty sore loser in the past and I wouldn’t want you to suffer the consequences.”

“Noted. I will try, but I doubt I can always stop myself from making comments like these. Please do not get cross with me if I accidentally do it.”

At that point, Enola couldn’t tell if the two were still being sarcastic or not, so she decided not to answer with something even more intense that would completely change the conversation.

“For how long will we be staying in London?” she finally asked, realizing that the boy hadn’t told her any specifics. “I want to know how long I have to pack.”

“I cannot say for sure, but it will be at least a week. And if you don’t like it there, you can always come back here. As I said, this place can be your home. That offer stands even while I’m not here.”

Enola took in his words, realizing that it was exactly what she had been wanting to hear ever since her mother left. She wanted to feel safe somewhere and Tewksbury was offering her exactly that, she had just been too blind to see it for the most part.

 _Maybe this could be a place I call home one day_ , said Enola to herself. That was when she also realized that she had become hungry during their conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after the last chapter, I thought I would make this one a bit more light-hearted/
> 
> thoughts? 
> 
> [Tumblr](https://bluebrownskies.tumblr.com/) | [AO3 Account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/revior)


	8. Chapter Eight

Just when Enola was about to go to the stables to ask John for riding lessons, a surprise came up at her bedroom door. "Good afternoon, Enola."

"Hello, Sherlock. Is there any specific reason why you're here? Did Mycroft try to get you to bring me back 'home'?" Enola was very paranoid about the things her eldest brother would do to bring her back home.

Sherlock chuckled, entering the door. He didn't bother asking whether he was invited or not. "I assure you that there is nothing I'm doing for my brother right now." He saw Enola about to ask something, so he just decided to beat her to it. "And before you say anything, I am not doing anything for the family pride or whatever thing our brother seems to care so much about. Or for any other specific reason."

"It doesn't reassure me that much, as from what I heard you stay true to your word as you please, but I will say I believe you." Enola saw the shocked expression on her brother's face as Sherlock cleared his throat. "So, why are you here if not to take me back?"

"It pains me to see how bad our relationship has become, but I understand why you feel like it. We haven't seen each other in more than enough years to drift apart as we have."

Enola didn't fall for his games and instead decided to ask him again. "Why are you here, Sherlock?"

"I'm here to check in on you. I have heard from a source that you're going to London, and I know that Mycroft will be there at the same time. You know how our brother can get about certain things. To sum it all up, I'm here to warn you that your eldest brother might try to do something when you're having a good time in London with that friend of yours."

Sherlock put a strange emphasis on the word 'friend', a smirk on his face as he said it. "He is just a friend, you know? There isn't anything going on between the two of us and I do not understand why people think that."

"Whatever you say, Enola. But I saw the way he looked when I asked him where you were just before. He couldn't recognize me and the look on his face only showed one thing. Jealousy," swiftly added the renowned detective as the smirk on his face grew bigger. "But whatever you say. I believe you."

"Stop lying," spat Enola. "There is nothing going on between the stupid Marquess and me, and we both know it. He's guarding me against my sick brother who wants to have total control of me and is ready to do anything to achieve it."

"Our brother might want to have control over you, but he's still a gentleman above all. He isn't the sort to try anything like taking you away, but I personally think that it's better to stay safe than to regret something, right?"

"Yes, I know that. But stop trying to change the subject. I want you to know that there is nothing going on between us and we both know that's obvious."

"Whatever you say, Enola Holmes, whatever you say. Let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if the two of you were to magically end up together one day. And neither would anyone else."

"I am very very close to hitting you right now, Sherlock. You're on thin ice."

"You may call me anything you want, but right now I did not lie."


	9. Chapter Nine

Sherlock stayed for a few more hours before parting back to where he came from and leaving Enola to start her horse riding lesson with John.

She ended up liking it much better than she thought she would. Having full control over a horse was a lot better than helplessly sitting at the back of one, even if the speed at which she was going with Tewksbury was infinitely faster than the one she was going on that day.

"Enola, could I talk to you for a bit," said a woman's voice, making Enola turn around.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't remember your name," said the girl, recognizing the woman as the Marquess' mother. She looked worse now, but that's probably what finding out that your mother tried to kill your son does to someone.

The woman nodded. "It is Adelaide. Adelaide Tewksbury, to be more precise."

"That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you. But I'm afraid my name doesn't have as good of meaning as yours does. I value the courage of whoever named you because I never could find the courage to name my son something as spectacular."

Enola felt her cheeks blushing at the compliment. She always thought that her name was strange, but hearing another person's insight on it seemed to help. She valued what other people thought of her, although she rarely showed it, and compliments like the one she had just received always had a way of getting to her.

"There surely is a name behind Adelaide, you just haven't found it yet. And if there wasn't a great woman named Adelaide yet, I assure you that you will be the one who will make that name as spectacular as it is and make it go down in history."

Adelaide Tewskbury smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, my dear. Now, to talk about more serious matters for a second, I have caught the ear of you going to London with my son."

"Yes, he has invited me to stay with him and I agreed because I love the city and I wanted to go visit it again. I hope that it's alright with you..."

Adelaide chuckled, sitting down on the chair that was resting in the hallway, probably placed there for that exact purpose. "I have no problem with you going to London with my son, dear. I just wanted to ask you if you needed things to wear."

"Why would I need things to wear?" asked Enola, surprised by the question the Viscount's mother asked. "I have brought things with me when I moved here."

"I know that, dear, but from what I know, you only prepared to stay here for a week and now it has been well over that time. You are probably running out of fresh clothes and I wanted to ask you whether you wanted me to prepare you some clothes so you could have them ready before you part for London."

"Oh," muttered Enola, realizing that she took the woman's words the wrong way the first time. "Thank you for the suggestion, but I don't want to inconvenience you any more than I already have. And besides that, I doubt that you have any clothes that would both be in my size and to my liking. I'm afraid I can get very picky when it comes to clothing."

"I know that you don't want to be put into traditional clothes and I completely understand that. That is why I would like to tell you that we can arrange any form of attire you would want, no matter how feminine or how masculine, we have it handled."

Only then did Enola realize just how much Adelaide was doing for her. No highborn lady would ever do something that complicated for just anyone. Most wouldn't even give her the chance to do it and the ones who would just send a servant to work the details out with her. But Adelaide Tewksbury was working everything out and it was exactly that which shocked Enola.

It was almost as if she was somehow a part of the family or at least meant a lot to them.

The girl took a deep breath and thought about the words that she just heard again. "Actually, that does sound pretty intriguing. Could you maybe show me clothes and I can see if I like them? I'm sorry, I don't want to make your life busier than it already is."

"Don't worry, spending more time with you isn't a problem at all. You're quite an interesting character actually, so I think that even if you are making my life busier, you also make it a lot more interesting. They come as a package in your case."

The statement made Enola smile, realizing just how true it was. She truly did come as a package. "Does that mean you won't have a problem with showing me a few things?"

"No problem at all. I will gladly get to know you better, Enola."

And so the two got ready before going to a place inside the house Holmes had never been to before.

* * *

"I had no idea this place even existed," muttered Enola, for some reason keeping her voice down. She always did that when she came into a dark room, even if she knew there was no point. "It's amazing."

In reality, the place wasn't exactly amazing, but Enola had not seen anything like it in the past. A room filled with all kinds of clothes and other accessories, most of which she had never seen anyone wear.

Holmes eyed the clothes and then immediately went to the section that contained more masculine clothes. She thought about making a joke, telling Adelaide that she would pay her five pounds if she switched outfits with her, but she doubted that the woman would understand it or even want to.

"You can take anything from here. I am sure that it won't be missed," added Tewksbury's mother. "I'll get Jonathan to bring whatever you pick to your room and then you can bring it to London. Don't be afraid of being who you want to be."

Those last words really resonated in the young girl's head. She might've been only sixteen but she knew that people usually didn't let you be who you wanted to if that meant something out of the ordinary. So when a woman of a high rank said something like that to her, she couldn't be happier.

"Are you sure? This seems like it cost you a lot..."

"It did cost us a lot, but right now nobody at all is using it and I doubt that anyone besides you will want to use this any time soon. So go ahead and just pick whatever you want. I'm sure most of these things fit you perfectly."

Adelaide was right. Almost everything fit Enola well, but she didn't like most things. Most of them were either too masculine or too feminine and there was no in-between. Holmes didn't want to exactly appear as either so instead, she just mixed up something that she thought would look good.

She wasn't a fashionista, of course, but she wasn't exactly wrong either when she thought that it looked nice. "Do you think I could take these with me?" she asked, pointing on the small pile of clothes that was sitting on a rocking chair.

"Of course, my dear. That is why I brought you here, right?"

Enola just nodded, not knowing how to express how thankful she was any better. 

She thought about how strange it really was to have such a rich woman helping her with something as banal, but then again, who wouldn't question something that was almost too good to be true?

All she had to do was hope that it really wasn't too good to be true.


	10. Chapter Ten

The next few days were very exciting for Enola. Tewksbury was preparing himself, having multiple people over, and talking to them about the upcoming election. It didn't seem as though he really cared, he just wanted to make the best impression.

Overall, the two became closer than they were before.

Enola had started riding a lot more and she seemed to be a lot better at it than she was at riding a bike.

"You done for today?" asked John as she rode back into the stables.

"Yes." Holmes climbed off the horse and smiled at the caretaker. "Thank you again for not judging me. I know that you might not think that a lady should ride, but I assure you-"

"I don't want to interrupt you, but you are wrong. I don't care whether you behave like a lady or not, because that is entirely your thing. I want you to know that there is nothing wrong with anyone riding a horse. Plus, it just means that somebody is taking care of him, right?"

"True," admitted the girl, surprised by how straight-forward the man was. "Hercules is truly a magnificent creature and I couldn't be happier that Tewky is letting me ride him."

"Well, you're not the only person who doesn't fit their gender norm in this household, I'm afraid. Plus, he does have a soft spot for you which is just something that adds to the fact that he's letting you do whatever you want. And I'm glad that's the case; a bird such as yourself would never survive in a cage."

Enola was taken aback by the words the man said.

They were very true, of course. She couldn't imagine living in that Girl's School for longer than a week if Mycroft were to force her there, but that wasn't the only place she could be trapped in. Time made her feel trapped along with all other types of things that people just couldn't imagine.

And one of the things she feared the most was feeling trapped by Tewksbury, a boy that was doing everything in his power to make Enola not feel trapped at all.

"Are you alright?" asked John, grabbing hold of Hercules. "Did I somehow upset you by saying that?"

"No, you didn't. I just seem to think way too much of things that don't matter at all sometimes. But again, you didn't do anything. It's all me."

The caretaker didn't seem very convinced but he didn't have the guts to tell the girl otherwise. He was the type of person to let things go at first and then overthink them later. In some way, he was very similar to Enola.

"I'm going to go now. Thanks again for letting me ride Hercules."

"At this point, I'm pretty sure Hercules is yours, my dear. You can come by at any time and ride him. And tell the Marquess that his horse is missing him so he should come around sometime soon. Or not. He's a Marquess, he can make his own decisions anyway."

John led the stallion back into the stable and Enola left, walking the way to the manor slowly as she stared at the floor. There was nothing interesting about it, of course, she just didn't want to concentrate on anything besides it.

"Are you alright?" asked Tewksbury. "Enola, look at me."

The girl did as he asked.

There was a troublesome look painted all over her face but she wouldn't admit to being troubled. She would just say that she hadn't slept well or something of the sort, but the Viscount somehow knew that what she would say was a complete lie and would then proceed to assure her that she could tell him anything.

And that was exactly how things happened. She assured him that she was fine and that nothing happened, then he proceeded to be even more worried about her for lying to him and then tried to persuade her to talk to him.

"Nothing is wrong, Tewksbury."

"I can see that something is, and I want you to know that you can tell me anything. Or you can talk to others about it, I don't mind. I just want you to know that there are people who are happy to help you out, you know."

"There is really nothing wrong. Now we need to head back. We need to ear dinner sometime soon and then we need to prepare for London, don't we?"

"Yes, we do need to do all those things, but we always have time to help you out. I told you that there wouldn't be anything that I wouldn't do for you, Enola Holmes. So how about you tell me what's bothering you and we can move on past this."

"Well, what if the subject of what's bothering me isn't something that I can move past? What if it is something permanent that will affect me forever, just as it will affect you too? What will you do then? Talk to me? Try to convince me that everything is alright? Let me ride a horse? None of those things really matter, and you know it."

Enola then took a deep breath, mildly regretting her choice of words after seeing how hurt the boy was, but instead of doing anything about it, she just stormed off to the manor, her mind running all over the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading <3
> 
> thoughts?
> 
> also don't forget to check out a one-shot that's set in the Live With Him universe but is basically an alternate ending to this one (not that this one is that close to being over yet)
> 
> [the girl who cried raindrops](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26947105)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[fanart] Live With Him](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26950318) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account)




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